Unity
by Yumiko Kaze
Summary: The WilyKittens manage to stir up an argument to which there is only one solution. Sparring. Everyone grows a little closer and learns that they've lost a lot, but they still have each other.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I have had the idea for this fic since I saw the two beautifully done fanarts The Morning Session and The Evening Session by Piku-chan. When I finally started writing this it was after reading the amazing story Lean on Me by Anzu Fan. Her interpretations of the characters melded perfectly with what I wanted out of the show but haven't seen a lot of since the pilot. *cries inwardly for want* So some of the details mentioned in this fic are direct references to chapter two of Lean on Me because they are now a permanent part of my head canon.

This fic takes place after the Tower of Omens, and after my fic Saving Face but before the Drifter and the Duelist. This is actually what I wish would have happened in place of the Duelist and the Drifter, but we can just say that this is how Lion-O got so quick on his feet.

Again, beta-read by ArcaneLegacy. Blame her for the blatent lack of shipping in this fic. She's trying to teach me restraint. *sad face*

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><p>Unity<p>

Yumiko Kaze

The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, but the promise of a new day had filled WilyKit with the sort of boundless energy that only small children seem to have. She squirmed the entire time Cheetara braided her hair, unable to sit still even though she wouldn't have given up the time with the older girl for anything. It had become a routine for the cheetah to comb through Kit's tangles and braid her hair every morning and it had become Kit's favorite part of the day. It was almost like having a mother again. Or an older sister.

Once her hair was done, Kit bounded off to find her brother, leaving Cheetara to finish fixing her own hair into a single plait.

WilyKat was crouching near Tygra, chin resting on his knees and eyes keenly focused on everything the older cat did.

Kit felt a satisfied expression creep across her face. He'd never see it coming.

With a stealth born of years of thieving, Kit crept up on her brother and gave him a firm shove. He screeched and wind-mill his arms to avoid falling face-first into the river. Once he had righted himself again he turned on his sister in a huff, tail puffed to twice its normal size.

"What'd you do that for?"

Kit held her paws up in the universal 'I dunno' expression. "Felt like it."

Kat hissed, "Don't bother me! I'm trying to learn how to catch a fish!" He glared pointedly at her. "When I catch one Cheetara can teach you how to cook it."

Kit's eyes narrowed. "What? You think I can't catch a fish?" She stepped closer to the river and eyed Tygra as he effortlessly caught a fish, paw flashing into the water and coming back out with a fat silver trout. She made a face. "It doesn't look _that_ hard."

WilyKat stuck his nose in the air importantly. "It's a man's job to do the hunting. Girls are just better cut out for doing the easy stuff."

Now Kit's tail was as round as a bottlebrush. "Are you saying boys are _better_ than girls?"

Kat cocked his head. "Well, yeah."

"What?" Kit snarled, but the sound came out sounding more like an extremely violent sneeze. "WilyKat you are _so_ dead."

With that, she pounced on her brother, rolling into the pile of trout and nearly knocking it back into the river. Tygra, who until this point had seemed to be ignoring them completely, suddenly pounced closer to shore, pinning the fish to the ground with an irritated growl of "Hey!"

The two kittens tousled for a moment, hissing and spitting, before Lion-O, who had been shooed away from attempting to assist Panthro with the Thundertank, broke it up. He grabbed each kit by the back of their shirts and dragged them apart. He frowned, a sight that made Kit's heart sink just a tiny bit, and admonished, "Fighting like that's not very lady-like, Kit."

The comment sent a wave of fury through Kit's small frame strong enough that she forgot she had a tiny bit of a crush on the older boy and blurted out, "_Cheetara's_ a lady and she's a better fighter than you _or_ Tygra." The moment it was out her eyes widened, her cheeks went red and she slapped her hands over her mouth.

Lion-O, looked slightly taken aback but didn't disagree, instead saying, "Cheetara's a Cleric. Of course she's a good fighter. She just knows better than to start a meaningless fight."

Kit was about to grudgingly admit that maybe, just maybe, she'd been a little bit rash. Perhaps even childish to start the fight with WilyKat and almost lose them their breakfast.

And then Kat opened his mouth again, "But not better than you. She's a _girl_."

Kit exploded again. "You're just afraid she'll kick his tail." She whirled around to face the cheetah imploringly. "Cheetara! Show 'em!"

Cheetara, who had been sitting quietly on her rock throughout the entire argument, looked up with a deer in the headlights expression. She glanced from Kit to Kat to Lion-O.

Kit clasped her hands and mewed, "Puh-leaaase?"

Cheetara blinked, as though the idea of actually laying hands on Lion-O in any way shape or form was a completely foreign concept. "I can't fight Lion-O. He's the King."

Kat crossed his arms and leaned forward, taunting, "See? She knows better than to challenge the Lord of the ThunderCats."

Kit felt her ears, covered by her neatly braided hair, droop a little at the older girl's refusal. Lion-O, for his part, looked rather relieved – until Tygra's deep laugh cut through the air. "You look a little scared there, my King."

Kit watched Tygra out of the corner of her eye. He had finally retrieved the fish that had nearly gotten away and moved the entire haul to safety near their campfire. He straightened and swaggered over in a way that made Kit's heart give an odd thump—even though she knew the tiger was _way_ too old for her. "Really, Cheetara it'd just be a sparring match. It's not like you're actually _attacking_ his littlest majesty."

Lion-O's eyes narrowed just a bit at the barb and Kit wasn't sure whether she found their exchange humorous or not. She suddenly felt a bit bad about pushing them to fight. Lion-O obviously really didn't _want_ to fight Cheetara, but now Tygra had gone and called his honor into it.

With a sigh, Lion-O relented. "Well… it is just a friendly game."

"Lion-O and I used to do it all the time," Tygra added, settling himself on a fallen log and crossing his arms smugly. "I always won, of course."

A small, angry growl erupted from Lion-O's throat and Kit realized with a flinch that Tygra had hit a button. She hadn't wanted to start a real fight between the adults. She just wanted someone to agree with her and tell WilyKat that girls could do anything boys could do.

Lion-O scowled at Tygra, harrumphed to himself, and idly unsheathed the Sword of Omens. WilyKit flinched a little at the suddenly palpable tension in the air. "We really should start doing that again. It's a good workout, and with the lizards following us so closely we'll need to keep in tip top shape." When he looked at Cheetara though, all traces of annoyance melted away. "How about it? Feel like a little exercise?"

Cheetara's brow furrowed and she shifted as though she were warming to the idea, but she still gripped her staff a little uncertainly. Now that the tension from earlier had passed, Kit felt that egging on a friendly fight wasn't such a bad thing and resumed her insistent meowing. "Come on, Cheetara. _Please_?"

Cheetara's eyes flicked over Kit, Kat, and Tygra, who gave her a wink and a nod. Finally, Cheetara blinked and all uncertainty had disappeared, replaced by a confident grin as she stood in one fluid motion. "Well… all right." She extended her staff and smirked at Lion-O. "Just don't be upset when I beat you, My Lord."

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><p>Tygra glanced from side to side as the kitten's seated themselves on either side of him on the log while Cheetara and Lion-O prepared for their impromptu sparring match. If this turned out to be as entertaining as he thought it would, he would have to find a way to thank them for instigating the fight.<p>

He looked up as Panthro lumbered over, wiping his hands on a towel. "What's this all about?" he asked gruffly, nodding in their general direction.

Kit piped up, "Cheetara's gonna beat Lion-O!"

Panthro raised an eyebrow and Kat scoffed, "You wish! Lion-O's not gonna let a dumb girl get the best of him. Just you watch. Right, Panthro?" The youngster looked up at the general for confirmation but Panthro merely shook his head.

"I'm staying out of this," he rumbled, casting a knowing glance at Tygra. "_You_ wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?"

Tygra laughed, not even bothering to put on his offended face. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." His eyes glittered with barely restrained glee. Of course he had, it wasn't as though he had tried to _hide_ it when he egged his brother on. Lion-O just made it so _easy_ it was impossible for Tygra to resist.

"Just make sure no one gets hurt," Panthro directed, turning away from the clearing and heading over to inspect the fish Tygra had caught that morning. Tygra vaguely wondered why Panthro wasn't sticking around to assess the pair's battle skills but was distracted when Lion-O and Cheetara finished their stretching exercises and squared off; politely nodding at one another in acknowledgement of their readiness to do battle.

Both opponents crouched slightly, their expressions serious. The Sword of Omens extended with a flash of magic. Tygra found himself leaning forward as the magic seemed to send a charge throughout the clearing. The kitten's tensed up on either side of him in anticipation. His keen eyes watched for even the barest sign of movement to tell him which opponent would attack first.

Of course, he already _knew_ who would make the first move. No matter how many times Tygra had told Lion-O to _think_ before he acted, to not rush into battle with his ass showing, the lesson had just never seemed to sink in. The twitch in Lion-O's right leg as he recklessly threw himself into motion was as much a giveaway as his yell. Tygra held back a sigh.

He was even worse about it now. After their father's death, Lion-O seemed to be _obsessed_ with becoming the man their father had been, even if it meant repeating Claudus' mistakes. Impatience was one of the less desirable qualities that Lion-O had inherited from Claudus. Also, subtly had never been one of his strong suits. The boy's face was an open book. It was one of the reasons Lion-O had never won one of their sparring matches.

Cheetara's face, on the other hand, was normally quite difficult to read. Her expression barely changed when Lion-O charged her. She just stood there as the lion took a swing at her, the sword arcing towards her in a shining flash of metal.

And then she was gone.

Tygra quirked an eyebrow when the cheetah reappeared behind his brother, gently thwacking him on the back of his thighs with her staff. How did she do that? Was it because she was a cheetah? Or was speed an ability all Clerics possessed?

He had pretty much tuned out the kitten's increasingly rabid cheering at this point. He could already see how this fight was going to end. Eyes narrowed, he mentally catalogued every trick, every move that he could and began thinking up possible counterattacks. As cocky as he was, Tygra was also very practical; he would not be caught unawares by anything if he could help it.

Lion-O growled and turned, trying to face Cheetara head on, sword to staff, but she wouldn't stand still long enough for him to do so. Tygra chuckled. Every time Lion-O thought he had her, Cheetara vanished and reappear elsewhere, giving him a whack with her staff.

While Lion-O wore himself out trying to catch Cheetara and strike a strong blow, she was slowly but surely tiring her opponent out. Tygra was sure that if Lion-O could get in a few good blows he would no doubt be able to overpower Cheetara with size and muscle, but it was clearer every second that making that happen was going to be difficult.

"Stand still!" Lion-O grunted. "Fight like a cat!"

Cheetara laughed, "Not all cats are created equal in that regard. I know better than to rely on brute strength alone, Lion-O." She swept her staff skillfully in an arc, catching the sword and twisting it out of Lion-O's grasp so that it clattered away into the grass harmlessly. She continued the motion, catching Lion-O behind the knees and following through, sweeping the young Lord onto his back. She ended the battle crouched on his midsection with the end of her staff pressed into his collarbone. Kit cheered, leaping up to stand on the log with her fists in the air and Kat covered his eyes in shame.

Cheetara smirked a little and Tygra dismissed the odd flutter in his chest as excitement from the fight when she added, "And _that_ is how you bring down your opponent."

Lion-O blinked, first at her and then at the weapon at his throat. Then he seemed to notice her close proximity and somewhat precarious position on his hips. A rosy flush invaded his cheeks and he gulped a little. Tygra found himself scowling as Lion-O nodded. "Right. Got it."

Kat pouted as Kit danced around him in circles chanting, "I told you so." Tygra waved her wildly excitable tail out of his face irritably.

Cheetara pulled back a little and allowed Lion-O to rise to his elbows. "Any questions?"

Lion-O shook his head. Cheetara made a move to rise at the same time Lion-O attempted to slide out from underneath her. His knee came up and knocked her off balance, causing her to sprawl backwards with an 'oof."

Eyes wide, Lion-O apologized. He started to scramble to his feet to offer Cheetara a hand up, but before he had the chance Tygra had made his way across the clearing, deftly and quickly beating Lion-O to the punch. As he helped Cheetara to her feet, he slipped himself in between her and Lion-O, saying, "I think that's quite enough excitement for this morning."

"Yes. Quite enough." The gruff voice startled everyone. They had almost forgotten about Panthro in all the excitement.

They were even more startled at his next words, "Breakfast is ready!"

WilyKat looked shocked and intrigued all at the same time. "_You_ cooked?"

"Indeed I did. _Someone_ had to get things moving around here while you kids messed around." He smiled to show that he wasn't actually angry with them and started divvying up the trout and fruit that they had picked the night before.

WilyKit stuck her tongue out at her brother and placed her hands on her hips. "See Kat? _Panthro's_ not too manly to cook."

Kat looked like he wanted to argue, but Panthro cut him off, "It's very manly to cook. Who else was going to feed me when I was searching for the Book of Omens? Cooking is a necessity and everyone should know how to do it."

It was difficult to see, but Tygra noted the way the top of Kat's hair seemed to shrink a little as his ears flattened at the gentle admonishment. Panthro had noticed it too, because he followed up with, "I could teach you."

This caused both kittens to perk up with interest and ask in perfect unison, "Really?"

Panthro nodded and the kittens excitedly began to argue quietly which one of them would be the better cook.

Everyone spent the next several moments devouring their food and making small talk. Everyone but Lion-O, that is. The young lord ate in silence.

Tygra thought for a moment that his brother was just gloomy because he'd lost the fight to Cheetara in front of everyone. However his expression was more thoughtful than anything else. Finally, Cheetara noticed as well and nudged him with her shoulder. "Cat got your tongue?" she teased.

Lion-O shook himself, eyes refocusing as he came back to the real world. "I think… I think we should spar again."

Tygra raised an eyebrow. "What, you want a rematch already?"

Lion-O glared at him. "No!" He composed himself again. "What I mean is that we could all learn a lot from each other if we tried." When the others all fell silent and looked at him he colored slightly at the attention but continued, "I mean, we really _should_ all learn how to cook. It's not fair for one or two people to be doing it all the time." He glanced at Cheetara. "But Cheetara beat me without needing to be stronger and it made me realize that we all have talents that the others don't."

Tygra caught on to his brother's train of thought. "Like in the Tower."

"Exactly!" Now Lion-O looked rather excited, like when he used to prattle on about technology. "We would have died if Kit and Kat weren't such great lock pickers. We'd still be in that tunnel if Cheetara wasn't so fast and agile." He looked from face to face individually before continuing, "I think it would be a good idea if we made sparring a regular thing. Teach each other how to compensate for others strengths and our own weaknesses." He dropped his gaze a little, "My father was a great King, and a strong warrior, but I'm not him. I have to figure out how to become the best Lord I can be," His eyes flicked back up, almost shyly. "But I'm going to need everyone's help."

Cheetara was the first to speak up. "Of course we'll help you."

The kittens went from looking shell shocked to excited in a split second and answered with twin "Yeah's!" that nearly burst Tygra's ear drums. Panthro silently nodded his assent, but pride was apparent in his dark eyes.

Then Lion-O was looking Tygra in the eye in a way he hadn't in years. It had been a long time since Lion-O had really needed him for anything. Since before their sibling rivalry had been propelled to new heights and they spent more time arguing than anything else. Tygra, for the first time in a long while, felt like the big brother again. Of course he was going to help. However, instead of simply agreeing like everyone else, he couldn't help but smirk and say, "The gods know _someone_ needs to."

Lion-O smiled crookedly back at him, for once realizing that his brother's statement held no real ill will. The other's laughed lightly at the comment, a new sort of camaraderie filling the camp that hadn't been there earlier that morning.

Caught up in the moment, WilyKit pumped her fist into the air with a shout of, "ThunderCats, ho!"

The light chuckles that had filled the tiny camp suddenly broke into all out laughter at the little girl's exuberance. Realizing what she'd done, Kit shrank a little, looking rather embarrassed. Lion-O, however, was quick to remedy that, pumping his own fist into the air with his own shout that, despite himself, Tygra found himself echoing along with the rest of them.

"ThunderCats, ho!"

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><p>AN: Yes. I went with a cheesy eighties version ending. So sue me. This was waaay different than I originally planned to end this and it seemed fitting to me because I want to see the cats grow together as the kind of inseparable group we got with the Gaang in Avatar the Last Airbender. I couldn't resist throwing the sort of ending the eighties version would have gone for. Please review with thoughts and opinions. Concrit is also welcome. This will be followed by a sequel with Tygra and Cheetara sparring, thought I don't know if it will be a second chapter to this or simply another stand alone fic.<p> 


	2. Heartstrings

AN: Why does everything with Tygra involved end up sounding like a sexual innuendo? Seriously, "Unity," though it can still be misconstrued, is not nearly so bad as the original title of "Bell Ringer." I was going to call this one "Stamina" but decided that that sounded bad too. Damn you, Tygra.

I think my husband needs to be granted leave soon, or this is just gonna get worse and worse. Although I doubt Tygra/Cheetara fans would mind. Though I intend to give Lion-O plenty of love as well because I like the love triangle idea and I still cling to my adoration of Lion-O from the pilot; not PMSing, Capslock Rage, Emotional Whiplash Lion-O from all the other episodes. Though Tygra will be doing a lot of cock-blocking, because, as someone on Tumblr mentioned "Tygra is good at everything; including stealing your women." Actually, they'll just cock-block each other. Repeatedly.

ArcaneLegacy is still teaching me this thing called "restraint." I don't like it. I want sexy-times damnit. Plot be damned!

Anyway, this was inspired by Piku-Chan's sister piece of "The Evening Session" which inspired the previous fic "Unity." This actually takes place the same day as "Unity," just….you know, In the evening. And after the Duelist and the Drifter which I decided could have happened during the majority of the day.

Also, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed the first chapter of this and Saving Face. I love you all. You make me do happy dances. I absolutely do not mind how long your review is. If you want to ramble about pairings and what you love/hate/want to see, go for it. It may give me ideas. Or if you simply want to tell me good job that's fine too! If you want to tell me I suck… please tell me why so I can fix it.

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><p>Unity<p>

Chapter Two: Heartstrings

Yumiko Kaze

It was early evening now. The sun was still bright and Panthro, as promised, was teaching the WilyKittens how to cook. The big panther was surprisingly patient with the kittens and took his time showing them how to clean their catch. Lion-O skulked around nearby, watching with an avid curiosity that rivaled the kittens. Panthro didn't shoo him away, just surreptitiously made a little bit more room so the young Lord could also see what he was doing.

Tygra watched it all just a bit wistfully. He'd gone on several wall campaigns with Claudus—Lion-O had been just a little too young to go along at the time—and their father had taught him how to cook and clean fish in much the same way. His heart felt just a little bit heavy at the realization that it was something Lion-O would never _get_ the chance to do.

_I'll have to show him sometime._

WilyKat piped up, "Hey, is it time for another sparring match yet?" He had just finished seasoning their dinner and had placed it on the fire to cook. Tygra estimated they had about half an hour, maybe a little longer, before it would be done. Kit had managed to cut herself whilst preparing supper. Panthro snatched her finger from her mouth and inspected it critically.

Panthro looked up from wrapping WilyKit's finger with a bandage. "I do believe it is."

Kit winced a little at Panthro's firm bandaging technique. "Whose turn is it now?" Her tail thrashed in excitement.

WilyKat bounced excitedly. "Tygra and Lion-O!"

Kit's eyes brightened, "Yeah!" Tygra shook his head in amusement. Despite Lion-O's less than gallant response to their request to tag along until they found the city of El Dara, the kittens still pictured the two of them like storybook princes from a fairy tale.

Lion-O yawned and waved a hand nonchalantly, settling himself on the ground with a thump. Snarf immediately curled up at his side. "I don't think so. Not tonight."

Kat's face fell. "Aww. Why not?"

Unable to help himself, Tygra added, "Cheetara didn't hit you _that_ hard this morning. Ya scared?" Of course, he considered, Lion-O might just be tired. Tygra still failed to understand how a simple trip to get supplies had managed to take his brother _all damn day._ Quite suspicious really.

Usually, Lion-O would've sent him a dirty look and jumped at the challenging tone in Tygra's voice. Instead, Lion-O stretched a bit, closed his eyes and settled himself even more firmly on the ground. "I've had about all the excitement I can handle for today. Why don't you and Cheetara have a go?" Then he opened one eye and added, "Unless you're not man enough to fight her?"

Tygra was taken aback for a moment. What had just happened? "All right, I will." He frowned at Lion-O suspiciously. Something else had happened in that village. He was sure of it. _I'll beat it out of him later._ Tygra turned to Cheetara. "That is, if you feel up to it."

Cheetara laughed, as though the idea was ludicrous. "I've done nothing but sit around all day watching you and Panthro tinker with the Thundertank." She jumped to her feet and grabbed her staff. "I think I'll be ok."

The kittens took one last peek at the food on the fire, nudging it with a pair of tongs, before running to sit on the log with twin shouts of "All right!" and "Yay!"

Lion-O laughed at their exuberance and jerked a thumb at Tygra. "Watch out, Cheetara. He's a sore loser."

Tygra felt the fur on his shoulders stand up just a bit. "How would you know? You've never beaten me at anything." He unbuckled the belt he wore that holstered his gun and laid it on the ground. "I never lose."

Cheetara held back a smile. "There's a first time for everything," she said evenly.

"We'll see about that," Tygra growled.

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><p>After a few moments of warm up, Tygra found himself facing off with Cheetara. He rolled his shoulders a bit; they still felt stiff after an entire day of hunching over the Thundertank. "You know, I think I like this match up better. I can best Lion-O any day, but I never did get to defend myself this morning."<p>

Cheetara blinked at him with confusion for a few seconds.

Seeing that she didn't quite get the point, Tygra put on his best imitation of WilyKit's voice, "Cheetara's a lady and she's a better fighter than you or Tygra!"

She laughed and slid easily into a fighting stance with a shrug. "Out of the mouths of babes," she quipped.

Tygra's eyes widened just a bit before he returned the laugh. She was playing with him! Now that was something he could appreciate! Who didn't like a lady who could give as good as she got?

Tygra clenched the handle of his whip in anticipation for a moment before releasing it and leaving the weapon at his waist. No. This wasn't Lion-O he was fighting. He would wait for his opponent to make the first move.

Cheetara appeared to feel the same, simply watching him from her ready position across the way.

The two stared at each other for a full two minutes, neither willing to make the first move.

Well, it sure wasn't going to be an interesting fight if nobody did anything. One of the kittens yawned loudly.

Finally, Tygra feinted to the left, surprised in spite of himself when Cheetara was suddenly behind him.

_How does she move so damned fast?_

When a blossom of pain erupted on his back, he decided it didn't matter _how_ she did it as long as he could figure out a way to avoid getting the daylights beaten out of him.

He made several purposely ridiculous attacks in order to give himself time to think up a plan of attack. When he'd been watching Lion-O fight Cheetara it had been a little easier to see the whole picture and determine where Cheetara would attack next. While in the thick of things it was just a _little_ more difficult. He knew he couldn't outrun or outmaneuver Cheetara, and Lion-O's defeat from this morning proved that strength meant nothing if you couldn't hit your enemy. Now it was his turn to show the Cleric a thing or two and he refused to go down the way Lion-O had. He didn't need to catch her. He just had to outsmart her.

Cheetara leaped away from him, once again easily evading his larger form. She laughed as he righted himself and Tygra growled. She really was just too damn fast for her own good. He knew without a doubt that once he got a hold of her the fight would be over. But she never got within arm's reach, always preferring to attack with her staff.

_The staff._

Before she could hit him again, he grabbed the offending object on a downward strike and rolled. Cheetara yelped as she was pulled off balance, giving her staff a violent yank to try and reclaim it.

Returning to his feet, Tygra grinned at the dirty look Cheetara was giving him and let her have the staff back. He lost the smile when she nearly brained him with it.

Well, _two_ could play at that game.

He removed his whip from his belt and unfurled it with a flourish. Locking eyes with Cheetara he winked and cracked his whip, fading out with his trademark smirk. _She can't fight what she can't see._

Her eyes darted from side to side, searching for even the slightest movement that would betray his presence to her. Tygra took the moment to admire her as he stalked through the ankle deep grass. She was breathing fast, causing her chest to rise and fall rapidly. Her hair was mussed and he admitted to himself he liked that she looked as ruffled as she did. She held her quarter staff protectively in front of her in a position that could easily go from defensive to offensive in a heartbeat.

He pounced.

A slight shift in the air pressure must have given him away, because she ducked just as Tygra made a move, avoiding him as effortlessly as if he were in slow motion. Her body bent like a willow branch and she sidestepped his follow up blow.

They continued like that for several more minutes, Cheetara deftly avoiding every invisible attack. Tygra relentlessly pressed the attack, figuring that she would have to mess up sometime. Instead, he realized that she seemed to be tiring rather quickly.

He made another grab for the cheetah, catching only air. He narrowed his eyes and exhaled slowly through his nose. He'd never had this much trouble catching a woman before. Metaphorically or literally. He would be having fun if it weren't also so annoying.

Then it hit him. If he couldn't outwit or outplay her, he would have to _outlast_ her.

Exhaling slowly again, Tygra calmed himself enough so that his breathing wouldn't give him away. The longer he stayed where he was the more nervous he could see Cheetara get. She hadn't realized he had changed his game plan just yet, so every breeze that rustled the grass, every new updraft was likely to be him.

Tygra forced himself to remain still. He had been the aggressor throughout their entire session. It would surely drive her nuts soon enough that he hadn't made himself known.

It took several minutes, but finally a field mouse sprinted across the clearing, displacing a twig in the process. Cheetara whirled in the exact wrong direction.

That's when Tygra struck.

The whip cracked through the air as fast as lightning. Ears twitching, Cheetara moved at the last instant and Tygra bit back a curse, certain he'd missed her again. But wait… no! Her arm and staff had become entangled in the whip and Cheetara stared at her arm in speechless amazement. Tygra held in his whoop of victory, instead using his whip to reel Cheetara in closer and allowing himself to become visible again.

Her stunned coral eyes held his amused brown ones as his smirk once again crossed his face. "Gotcha."

Cheetara struggled for a moment, testing the resistance of the whip. Her staff was trapped between their bodies, giving her no room to attack with any force. After a moment she stilled, silently accepting her defeat.

Smiling at his victory, Tygra cajoled, "So _what_ were you teaching Lion-O exactly?"

Her eyes skated up, then down, and back again before she returned his smile. "I'm sure it's not something you haven't already learned."

Tygra thrilled at her willingness to play his game and leaned a bit closer. "Then you wouldn't mind a crash course?"

There was a small cough, and Tygra was suddenly and rudely reminded that they had an audience. Clearing his throat, Tygra released the whip and allowed it to snake off of Cheetara's arm, as he stepped back and away.

"That was great!" WilyKat babbled. "Kit did you see that? After this morning I didn't think _anyone_ could catch Cheetara, but Tygra figured it out."

Lion-O rolled his eyes and scratched Snarf behind the ears. "He just got lucky."

Cheetara eyed Kat with an amused expression. "I may be fast, but as you may have noticed I can't keep it up forever." She turned her not-quite-accusing gaze on Tygra. "It's also difficult to fight what you can't see."

Tygra refused to let her make him feel as though he'd cheated. Mind games and strategy were as much a part of a real fight as strength or speed. "I wondered for a moment there if my invisibility was even working. You dodged almost every single one of my attacks." He narrowed his eyes. That was actually pretty suspicious. Perhaps Lion-O was not the only cat with secrets around here.

Cheetara didn't even flinch under his scrutiny. Instead she gave him a sidelong glance. "What one cannot see, one can still potentially hear," she pointed out.

"In other words, he's loud and obnoxious," Lion-O snorted. Snarf made a sound of agreement and Tygra glared at them both.

Kit was quivering excitedly. "If that mouse hadn't distracted you, you would have beaten him, right Cheetara?"

Cheetara shrugged. "It's hard to say. The point is, I _did_ let myself get distracted and Tygra figured out that I tire faster than most cats. Exploiting your enemy's weaknesses is a valuable skill to have."

"So what's Tygra's weakness?" Kit cocked her head and looked Tygra up and down critically.

Smiling mysteriously, Cheetara held up a finger. "That would be telling." She smirked at Tygra then and he was unsure if she was just saying that to make him nervous, or if she had actually discovered something she could use against him the next time they sparred.

Lion-O looked like he desperately wanted to say something scathing, but managed to hold it in.

Kit and Kat looked officially confused and Panthro chuckled, ushering both kittens back towards the campfire. "Come on. Let's make sure we don't burn anything, kids."

Dinner was, sadly, a little charred, but with as hungry as Tygra was it really didn't matter. They had skipped lunch to continue interfacing the Book of Omens to the Thundertank. Finally, shortly before Lion-O had returned with the supplies, they had managed to figure it out after countless trials and errors. It was looking as though they would be heading out tomorrow wherever the Book decided to take them.

"Sorry we burned it," Kat said sheepishly, even as he and Kit tore into their portions with a gusto that had the adults flinching.

"It's still good," Cheetara assured them, handing them both napkins and utensils in a silent plea for table manners. "Jaga used to burn the bacon all the time. Now I won't eat it any other way."

Kat looked at the utensils and blinked. Almost shyly he switched from using his hands to using the fork and knife. He held them awkwardly and elbowed his sister, who had yet to look up from her food. Kit nearly hissed at him before noticing the silverware and flushing a bit and using her own. "It's really okay?"

Tygra was reminded of himself several years ago, having asked Claudus that same exact question. It made his heart hurt just a little. His next bite was just a little hard to swallow. "It's great. You two did a good job."

Both kittens beamed at him from across the fire and he couldn't help but feel glad he had made them happy. Kit swallowed a bite that had been far too large for such a small kitten. "Thanks! Panthro helped."

"We did it together," Panthro clarified.

Kit laughed and nodded in agreement. "Together." She returned to her food, slightly slower now that she was trying to use silverware.

"Like a family." Kat's whisper was almost inaudible, not quite a statement or a question. In the kitten's eyes Tygra recognized a faint and desperate hope. One that had been buried for so long that it was probably only a distant memory. Tygra's own memories flashed in his mind's eye so quickly it was only a few seconds, but it felt much longer.

Tygra didn't remember his own parents. They had died when he was very young. As the story had been told to Tygra, his father had died in battle and his mother had fallen deathly ill soon after. They had been noble cats and his father had been a personal friend of Claudus' so the King had taken him in, no questions asked. It had taken Tygra a while, after Lion-O was born, to realize that he wasn't _actually_ Claudus' son. The King had always graciously referred to _both_ Lion-O and Tygra as his sons.

Eventually, Tygra noticed that he was the only one with stripes. When he finally asked about it, Claudus had explained where he had come from, and that he and the Queen loved both of them equally. And for a while, Tygra had accepted that truth. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he began to overhear when guards and statesmen occasionally talking amongst themselves that Tygra wasn't a _real_ Prince of Thundera.

He remembered getting very upset about the issue and crying. He'd run and hid from everyone. He was seven and entirely too old to cry now.

It wasn't long before the Queen had found him. She'd immediately gathered Tygra's sobbing form into her arms, sat down on the cold palace floor, and rocked him like she had when he'd been a baby. After his sobs had subsided into hiccups, she had asked him what was wrong. He'd started crying again as he forced out, "I'm not really your son. Not by blood, anyway. Everyone says so." He wiped his nose with the back of his hand miserably.

The Queen had hugged him tight. "It _doesn't matter_ if it's blood or mud, Tygra." She rested her chin on his head. "Love is thicker than both. Family isn't about _who _you're related to. It's about who you love. People you want to protect." She squeezed him again in her fierce lioness' embrace. "_I_ love you. Your _Father_ loves you. _Lion-O_ loves you. You _are_ our son, just as much as Lion-O is. Don't you _ever_ let anyone tell you any different."

The fierceness in her voice quelled the doubts that had clouded his mind and he sighed, snuggling closer to her. "I love you too, mommy."

After that, Tygra had never let anything anyone else said about his not being Claudus' real son get to him. He had simply decided to be the best son, the best brother, and the best prince that he could be. And he had succeeded.

The memory had sideswiped Tygra so quickly that he almost didn't have time to blink away the unwanted sheen of tears that had sprung to his eyes. He rubbed at them, glad that he happened to be downwind from the fire. He could just pretend it was the smoke.

WilyKat was still staring off into space, probably lost in whatever memories of his own family he happened to have. Tygra felt his heartstrings being plucked at with a surgical precision. Whether it came from the fact that he had also been orphaned or if he was just going soft, Tygra didn't know. He looked around at the rest of the group, just finishing their dinner and knew that he would protect these cats with his life. He also knew, without a doubt, that they would do the same for him and Lion-O. Kat felt Tygra watching him and looked up curiously.

Tygra held the kitten's eyes for a few seconds before repeating Kat's words with a firm nod. "Like a family."

* * *

><p>AN: This second part was a bitch to write. Tygra wanted entirely too much mopey internal thoughts time. I cut so much of his musings I have enough to make another fic. Which would make no sense because his thoughts were all over the damn place. He finally got his way with the memory thing at the end because it underscores why the idea of family is so important to him.<p>

I've always hated the phrase "blood is thicker than water." I happen to be adopted by my step-dad and unlike Tygra, I do not have the best relationship with him or "his kids" for the very reason that they all insisted on making the point every chance they got that I'm not one of them. Thank the gods I have my mom. Sadly, for the longest time they didn't even realize they did this (so they say). Tygra seemed to be very well accepted into the royal family, but I figured he would have had a moment at some point in his life where he felt he didn't belong. I am really truly afraid that Lion-O might push Tygra away at some point in the series by bringing this up and/or saying something else dumb. Although a temporarily bad Tygra might be pretty damn hot…

Anyways. Please review! Reviews make my heart go pitter patter. They also tend to get me to write more, faster.


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